My computer system is all bogged down this morning after
long weekend.

I wasn't born an in-box neatnik.

Yo-yo is a toy consisting of a pair of joined discs
with a deep groove between them in which string is attached
and wound so that it can be spun alternately downward
and upward by its weight and momentum as the string
unwinds and rewinds.

──────────────────────────────
trigger-happy, やたらとピストルを撃ちたがる、好戦的な
──────────────────────────────
If you describe someone as trigger-happy, you disapprove
of them because they are too ready and willing to use
violence and weapons, especially guns. [INFORMAL]

ex) Some of them are a bit trigger-happy - they'll shoot
at anything that moves.

──────────────────────────────
sink or swim, 一か八か、のるかそるか
──────────────────────────────
If you say that someone will have to sink or swim, you mean
that they will have to succeed through their own efforts,
or fail.

ex) The government doesn't want to force inefficient firms
to sink or swim too quickly.

──────────────────────────────
stay afloat, どうにかやっている
──────────────────────────────
If a person, business, or country stays afloat or is kept
afloat, they have just enough money to pay their debts and
continue operating.

ex)A number of efforts were being made to keep the
company afloat.

──────────────────────────────
kosher, 正当な、適法の
──────────────────────────────
Something that is kosher is generally approved of or
considered to be correct. [INFORMAL]

ex) I guessed something wasn't quite kosher.

「ユダヤ教のおきてに従って料理された」という意味も。

──────────────────────────────
equate, 同等[同一]視する
──────────────────────────────
If you equate one thing with another, or if you say that
one thing equates with another, you believe that they are
strongly connected.

ex) I'm always wary of men wearing suits, as I equate this
with power and authority.

──────────────────────────────
train of thought, 思考の流れ
──────────────────────────────
A train of thought or a train of events is a connected
sequence, in which each thought or event seems to occur
naturally or logically as a result of the previous one.

I deleted all my messages and then sent an e-mail hail
to all the people on my contact list.

You just made that up?

Each e-mail you send begets at least one more in your in-box.

■意味を考えてみよう。答えは以下で

down in the dumps
hinge on
e-mail hail
make up
beget
be hung up on
I wasn't born
neatnik
empathize with
pile up unanswered

──────────────────────────────
down in the dumps, ふさぎ込んだ
──────────────────────────────
If you are down in the dumps, you are feeling very depressed
and miserable. [INFORMAL]

ex) She's feeling a bit down in the dumps and needs
cheering up.

──────────────────────────────
hinge on, …に依存する、…にかかっている
──────────────────────────────
If one thing hinges on or hinges upon another, its existence
or qualities depend entirely on the existence or qualities
of the other thing.

[NOTE] Hang on means almost the same as hinge on.

ex) He said everything hinged on what happened to the
United States economy.

──────────────────────────────
e-mail hail, 電子メールを矢継ぎ早に送信すること
──────────────────────────────
A hail of things, usually small objects, is a large number of
them that hit you at the same time and with great force.

ex) The victim was hit by a hail of bullets.

──────────────────────────────
make up, …をでっちあげる
──────────────────────────────
If you make up something such as a story, you invent it,
sometimes in order to deceive people.

ex) She told herself, 'Don't be stupid, you're making things up.'

──────────────────────────────
beget, （…を）生じさせる、（…を）来す
──────────────────────────────
To beget something means to cause it to happen or be created.
[FORMAL]

──────────────────────────────
solace, 慰め
──────────────────────────────
Solace is a feeling of comfort that makes you feel less sad.
[FORMAL]

ex) I found solace in writing when my father died three years
ago.

──────────────────────────────
validated, 有能さが立証された
──────────────────────────────
To validate a person, state, or system means to prove or
confirm that they are valuable or worthwhile.

ex) The Academy Awards appear to validate his career.

──────────────────────────────
squeaky clean, 非常にきれいな、とれも清潔な
──────────────────────────────
If you say that someone is squeaky clean, you mean that
they live a very moral life and have never done anything
wrong. [INFORMAL]

ex) Maybe this guy isn't so squeaky clean after all.

──────────────────────────────
hoarder, ため込む人
──────────────────────────────
If you hoard things such as food or money, you save or store
them, often in secret, because they are valuable or important
to you.

My computer system is all bogged down this morning after
long weekend.

Online photo services are a snappy way for families
and friends to quickly share photos.

Another thing that puts me off is e-mail with adages
at the end.

It's so hackneyed and dotty.

■意味を考えてみよう。答えは以下で

be bogged down
snappy
put someone off
adage
hackneyed
Why should I care?
dotty
preachy
axiom
as clean as a whistle

──────────────────────────────
be bogged down, 動きが取れない、滞る
──────────────────────────────
If you are bogged down in a task, you are not progressing
quickly because you are being too careful or spending
too much time on minor problems.

ex) The outsider is not bogged down by a particular way of
doing things.

──────────────────────────────
snappy, 手っ取り早い、てきぱきした
──────────────────────────────
If someone has a snappy style of speaking, they speak in a
quick, clever, brief, and often funny way.

──────────────────────────────
adage, 格言、ことわざ
──────────────────────────────
An adage is something which people often say and which
expresses a general truth about some aspect of life.
[Old-Fashioned]

ex) The old adage, 'Every baby brings its own love' usually
turns out to be true.

──────────────────────────────
hackneyed, 陳腐な
──────────────────────────────
If you describe something such as a saying or an image
as hackneyed, you think it is no longer likely to interest,
amuse or affect people because it has been used, seen, or
heard many times before.

ex) Power corrupts and absolute power absolutely corrupts.
That's the old hackneyed phrase, but it's true.

I'm of the opinion that the most important thing today
is value for money.

With all due respect, it's not good form for the chairman
to be out of the country when a crisis is brewing.

■意味を考えてみよう。答えは以下で

I must say
The way I see it
If you ask me
I'm of the opinion
With all due respect
If I may say so
policy

──────────────────────────────
I must say, まったく、本当に（文意を強める）
──────────────────────────────
You use must in conversation in expressions such as 'I must
say' and 'I must admit' in order to emphasize a point that
you are making.

ex) I must admit I like looking feminine.

──────────────────────────────
The way I see it, 私の見るところでは、思うに
──────────────────────────────
リーダーズより。
The way I see it, the situation is serious.
わたしの見るところ事態は重大だ。

──────────────────────────────
If you ask me, 私に言わせれば
──────────────────────────────
in my opinionに同じ

──────────────────────────────
I'm of the opinion, 私は…と考えている
──────────────────────────────
= My opinion is = It is my opinion

略式ではI think, I believeが普通。

──────────────────────────────
With all due respect, 失礼ながら
──────────────────────────────
You can say 'with due respect' when you are about to disagree
politely with someone.

ex) With all due respect I submit to you that you're
asking the wrong question.

──────────────────────────────
couldn't care less, まったくかまわない、全然気にしない
──────────────────────────────
If you say that you couldn't care less about someone or
something, you are emphasizing that you are not interested
in them or worried about them. In American English, you can
also say that you could care less, with the same meaning.

ex) Personally, I couldn't have cared less whether the
ice-cream came from Italy or England.

──────────────────────────────
push[put] the pedal to the metal, 全速力で車を運転する
──────────────────────────────
このto the metalの意味がわからないのですが、色々調べたところ
「自動車の床」と解釈すると良いようです。

──────────────────────────────
amenities, 生活を楽しく[快適に]するもの[設備、施設、場所]
──────────────────────────────
Amenities are things such as shopping centres or sports
facilities that are provided for people's convenience,
enjoyment, or comfort.

──────────────────────────────
read body language, 顔色や表情、態度から意味を感じ取る[判断する]
──────────────────────────────
If you can read someone or you can read their gestures, you
can understand what they are thinking or feeling by the way
they behave or the things they say.

Hotel managers are learning to read body language, engage
in small talk, maintain eye contact and think on their feet.

It's cogent foresight for what business travelers will
come to expect in future.

We need to keep abreast of these innovations as we proceed
to organize and implement our seminar, taking advantage
of the newest facilities and services.

However, let's not think too high-tech for presentations
aimed at senior execs in their 50s and 60s, or so
low-tech that our junior exec audiences will surmise
that Brightwell is stuck way back in the Stone Age!

──────────────────────────────
inviting, 居心地のよい、（…）したくなるような
──────────────────────────────
If you say that something is inviting, you mean that it has
good qualities that attract you or make you want to
experience it.

If you chide someone, you speak to them angrily because they
have done something wicked or foolish. [Old-fashioned]

ex) He gently chided the two women.

──────────────────────────────
hassle, 煩わしいこと、面倒
──────────────────────────────
A hassle is a situation that is difficult and involves
problems, effort, or arguments with people. [Informal]

ex) Weddings are so much hassle that you need a good break
afterwards.

──────────────────────────────
focal point, 焦点、中心
──────────────────────────────
The focal point of something is the thing that people
concentrate on or pay most attention to.

ex) the focal point for the town's many visitors-the Royal
Shakespeare Theatre.

──────────────────────────────
connect with, …とかかわり合う、…と気持ちが通じる
──────────────────────────────
If you connect with someone, you feel a sense of agreement
and familiarity with them because you have the same kind
of ideas.

ex) If you stand on stage and share your view of the world,
people will connect with you.

If you describe something or someone as offbeat, you think
that they are different form normal.

ex) She adores old, offbeat antiques.

──────────────────────────────
pamper, 手厚くもてなす、甘やかす
──────────────────────────────
If you pamper someone, you make them feel comfortable by
doing things for them or giving them expensive in a way
which has a bad effect on their character.

ex) The only son had been pampered and spoiled.

──────────────────────────────
off the mark, 的外れで、見当違いで
──────────────────────────────
If something that you say or write is off the mark, it is
incorrect or inaccurate.

ex) They're sometimes called 'Poor Man's Oyster', but I
think that name is way off the mark. Mussels are every
bit as good as the more expensive oyster.

If you scout somewhere for something, you go through that area
searching for it.

ex) A team of four was sent to scout for a nuclear test site.

──────────────────────────────
imposing, 威圧的な、堂々とした
──────────────────────────────
If you describe someone or something as imposing, you mean
that they have an impressive appearance or manner.

ex) He was an imposing man.

──────────────────────────────
on one's way out, 消滅しつつあって、すたれかけて
──────────────────────────────
If something or someone is on the way out or on their way out,
they are likely to disappear or to be replaced very soon.

ex) The ban on Sunday shopping could be on its way out
before Christmas.

──────────────────────────────
meticulous, 細部まで行き届いた、細心の
──────────────────────────────
If you describe someone as meticulous, you mean that they do
things very carefully and with great attention to detail.

If you fraternize with someone, you associate with them
in a friendly way.

ex) At these conventions, executives fraternized with
the key personnel of other banks.

──────────────────────────────
short-lived, 一時的な、つかの間の、短気の
──────────────────────────────
Something that is short-lived does not last very long.

ex) Chantal told Martine about her short-lived marriage.

──────────────────────────────
averse to, …に反対して
──────────────────────────────
If you say that you are not averse to something, you mean
that you quite like it or quite want to do it. [FORMAL]

ex) He's not averse to publicity, of the right kind.

説明にもあるようにnot averse toと使われることが多いようです。

──────────────────────────────
brave new world, 素晴らしき新世界
──────────────────────────────
If someone refers to a brave new world, they are talking about
a situation or system that has recently been created and that
people think will be successful and fair.

ex) He belonged to a generation that took it for granted that
after the war a brave new world was to be ushered in.

──────────────────────────────
toil away, あくせく働く、骨身を削る
──────────────────────────────
If you toil away, you work hard at something continuously
over a long period of time, especially something that is
unpleasant and physically very tiring.

ex) Our mothers toiled away in the kitchen most of their lives.

──────────────────────────────
barge into, …に押しかける、…に入り込む
──────────────────────────────
If you barge into a place, you rush or push into it
in a rough and rude way.

ex) Most women would have come barging into the kitchen
with ironic or unhelpful suggestions.